The Maoist central committee meeting on Monday has ended in favor of the peace process and constitution drafting. As was expected the top leaders spent most of the day negotiating each other’s positions. “If we go for a revolt now, everybody will blame us for abandoning the peace process and people will not back us,” Pushpa Kamal Dahal told Baidya in the meeting. He convinced Baidya that the party must continue towards constitution drafting and choose revolt only as a last resort. However, the meeting made a vague agreement to go for ‘mass mobilisation’ to help in constitution drafting. The responsibility of mass mobilisation was given to Chairman Dahal.
Under pressure from the cadres and other leaders in the party, it was expected that the top leaders would come to a ‘temporary agreement’. It remains to be seen whether Baidya can convince people like CP Gajurel, Ram Bahadur Thapa and Netra Bikram Chand, who want to push for the line of revolt immediately.
The Maoists are consolidating after Upendra Yadav’s Madhesi Forum Nepal withdrew its support from the government on Sunday and sixteen parties led by Nepali Congress and UML formed a political block to pressurise them on the peace process and constitution drafting. The ongoing drive for unity within the Maoists is the result of quickly changing political landscape.
The opposition has come down heavily on the Maoists after the hardliners rejected previous agreements made by the dispute resolving sub-committee. NC leader, Ram Sharan Mahat, in a radio interview later blamed Maoists of going against the 7-point deal and exhibiting power arrogance. He also said the NC could consider moving ‘no confidence motion’ against the government. The constitutional committee meeting has been postponed for three days after the parties failed to come to terms.
Nepali politics is once again becoming polarised and there is a general fear that hardening position of the parties will further delay integration of the combatants and statute drafting.
ANURAG ACHARYA